A convicted murderer has lost a court battle to keep the $500,000 home in which he bludgeoned his estranged wife to death.
Twisted killer Adrian Basham, 46, killed Samantha Fraser at her Phillip Island home in 2018, before staging the scene to look like a suicide.
Basham, who was sentenced in February this year to serve at least three decades in prison for his heinous crime, was waging a legal battle to keep the $545,000 property the couple bought together in 2012 to help fund an appeal against his conviction.
Twisted killer Adrian Basham (pictured), 46, killed Samantha Fraser at her Phillip Island home in 2018, before staging the scene to look like a suicide
At the time of her death, Ms Fraser (pictured) had finally escaped Basham’s abusive clutches and was set to give evidence against him after he was accused of raping her repeatedly in 2014 and 2016.
Adrian Basham has pleaded not guilty to murdering his estranged wife. A jury didn’t believe him
But it was passed over by Judge Lesley Taylor on Tuesday afternoon, who ordered the house to be forfeited to the state.
“This is a premeditated murder occurring against a backdrop of domestic violence,” declared the judge, according to Nine newspapers.
“The offense itself consisted of Ms Fraser being savagely beaten during which she suffered 41 separate blunt force injuries.
“The confiscation of Seagrove Way is proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the offense.”
Basham, who appeared via video link and represented himself, told the court he wanted to keep items inside the house which he claimed belonged to him, but the judge shut him down .
“Mr Basham, I’ll stop you there, that’s not a matter I can help you with,” Judge Taylor said.
“This is not a matter before me.”
Basham’s father, James, also lost his fight to keep the black 2018 Kawasaki Ninja ZX1000 motorcycle worth $15,000 that his son used as a getaway vehicle after committing the crime.
Once confiscated by the state, the profits from these two properties will likely go to Basham’s three children and his elderly former in-laws who are now raising them.
At the time of her death, Ms Fraser had finally escaped Basham’s abusive clutches and was set to give evidence against him after he was accused of raping her repeatedly in 2014 and 2016.
Ms Fraser told friends before her death that she “felt stronger and was looking forward to starting a new life”.
Police had alleged Basham waited for two hours while Ms Fraser dropped their children off at school before sneaking into the garage when she returned.
She was found dead in the garage on July 23, 2018, the day after her 38th birthday.
The alarm was raised when she failed to collect her children from school.
